Mud
by Kereea
Summary: After losing his bending, Tahno felt worthless. Somehow getting caked in mud was an improvement. He blamed Bolin. Oneshot.


A/N: I wrote this for the Tahnorra Party on tumblr, but romance isn't my thing so it's more friendship and fluff with a little bit of Tahnorra hinted. And a lot of mud.

.o.o.o.

"Hey, Tahno, I've got an idea!"

Tahno groaned. Ever since he'd helped out the Avatar and her earthbender buddy get away from some Equalists who'd gone after them when they took their fire ferret to the vet, he'd been pestered by Bolin every waking moment. The guy had a perfectly good brother to bother, for crying out loud. "Hm?"

"Okay, so, I was talking to Tenzin and Pema, well, first Tenzin, then Pema-"

Why had he come here again? Right, without him and his teammates splitting the rent, he'd decided his old apartment was too much. He'd been looking for a new one when he ended up in the weird rescue situation.

"So, _anyway_, I found out we can do something to help Korra with her bending, and Tenzin actually said it was a good idea!" Bolin wiped away an imaginary tear. "Korra's teacher liked _my_ idea!"

"Uh…huh," Tahno said. Either Bolin had memory issues, or this wasn't actually going to require water and he just needed someone else to watch or something. If so, why couldn't he grab his brother, or his brother's girlfriend, or one of those two airbending girls?

"So, we're going to help her with bending mud, since it's a combo of earth and water and supposedly combos are giving her trouble but clouds and steam both need air so that's a no-no, and Tenzin is way to wary about lava so-"

"Are you completely brainless?" Tahno demanded. "In case you've forgotten, moron, I can't exactly bend water anymore!" He had jumped to his feet at some point during the tirade, and was seething.

Bolin beat a hasty retreat to a safer distance. "Well yeah, I mean, I didn't forget that, dude. Pema gave me some hoses and told me where to hook them up; you've just got to douse Korra while I shoot rocks at her. You know, make her have to focus on two elements."

Tahno glared at him. "Hoses don't _exactly_ compensate for _actual_ waterbending."

"It's…kind of all we got. Korra can't bend water at herself, you know," Bolin said. "Besides, you get to drench someone for kicks! Won't that be fun?"

Tahno's eye twitched. "No, no it would _not_ be fun. I don't exactly need to be reminded of what I lost, you know."

"Oh…" Bolin said. "Right, sorry, I didn't really think about it like that…but, we're worried about you. I mean, we had to freaking _trick you_ to get you out of your room for dinner, man."

"And by trick you mean how you got me to open the door and had one of Master Tenzin's kids sneak behind me and blow me through it?" Tahno asked dryly.

"Yep. Sorry about you almost going down the stairs, but hey, Korra caught you!" Bolin said. "Look…I got attacked by Amon too, and so did Korra. No, we don't know what's it's like to lose our bending…but well, I was scared as all get out when he was about to and she told me she was scared too…so…we just want you to try to fell better and…stuff…"

Tahno rolled his eyes. Apparently Korra wasn't the only one how had issues with speeches. Still, he'd made his point. "And some part of you thinks this will help?"

Bolin nodded, looking hopeful.

Why not? He'd tried everything, his bending wasn't coming back. Maybe something fun, like soaking the Avatar, was called for. "We'll get her tomorrow morning at five. She practices her waterbending right before sunrise on alternate mornings on the south end of the island."

"Uh…how do you know that?" Bolin asked.

"She and Tenzin told me. They…caught me staring at a fountain, thought watching waterbending might help," Tahno said.

"Okay, so we go early and watch, and then we get her!" Bolin said. "Phew, I thought you were a stalker or something."

"Don't even joke. I've had three stalkers, and it's not pleasant," Tahno said.

"Whoa, really? Man, I'm glad Mako and I never made it big. I mean, I love the ladies, but he's enough of a girl magnet as is, know what I'm saying?"

Tahno knew. The firebender had his girlfriend, the avatar had a crush on him, and he thought he'd seen a few other girls at the arena and on the street looking at the guy too. "I think it's the whole 'tall and quiet' thing."

"Girls like quiet? Ah man, why do I have to be so wonderfully chatty?" Bolin groaned.

"…Right," Tahno said. "So, how long are those hoses?"

This sounded a bit fun, when he thought about it.

.o.o.o.

"That is so cool," Bolin muttered.

"I think it's a Northern form," Tahno said. "They're a bit more aggressive than the Southern or Swamp ones."

They both violently ignored the fact that they technically _were_ spying on a girl.

"Oh, yeah Korra told me about the swamp tribe once. She said they could manipulate the water in plants, right? It sounded so awesome," Bolin said.

"Right. The pole tribes don't have the right kind of plants for it, so they don't learn that," Tahno said. "So, what's the story on the ground?"

"Be careful with the second hose, the ground near that one's clay and it'll slick up really fast," Bolin said. "Also…it's hard to wash out. Yeah, there was this one time, when I was ten...took me and Mako like four hours to get clean…"

"Noted. Ready when you are," Tahno said.

"Let's do this!" Bolin said. He jogged over to Korra while Tahno got the hose ready. "Hey, hey Korra, got a sec?"

Tahno go the hose ready. Time for some sweet, sweet soaking…

"So, me and Tahno totally agreed to help, of course I agreed first and he took a little working but we're going to help you bend mud!" Bolin said. "Really useful skill, actually."

"Yeah, Tenzin said it's harder for the Avatar to bend combinations of elements if we're too focused on just one," Korra said. "And I guess I'm just over-focusing."

"Totally what he told me," Bolin agreed.

"So, where's Tahno? Do we have to drag him out of bed or some—urk!"

Okay, technically he was supposed to wait for Bolin to bend a little earth at Korra before he started spraying her, but it was too hard to resist, really.

Bolin thankfully went with it. "Think fast, Korra!"

Korra managed to deflect the rocks. "Bolin what are you—ack-pfft! Tahno! That better not be you!"

Tahno grinned. Aiming for her mouth had been a _great_ idea. "Sorry, Avatar, but apparently you needed some teaching—yeep!" Some of the hose's water was launched back at him. "Hey, I have way less defense than chatty over there!"

"And I'm not seeing any mud!" Bolin added. "Come on, Korra! Don't you want to hit me with a mudball?"

"I know I would!" Tahno said, blasting her again when she tried to get Bolin.

"Argh! Cut it out, you two!" Korra yelled.

"Not until you mud me!" Bolin said. "Hey! I said mud, not water! Tahno, make the hose less cold, darn it!"

"It's a hose, not a shower, mud-boy!" Tahno yelled. "Deal with it!"

Suddenly the earth under his feet shook, knocking him to his knees and making him let go of the hose, making it start spaying everywhere. "Ah! Bolin that better not have been you!"

"It wasn't! I'm not the only person here who bends earth, you—cold! Cold!" Bolin yelped as Korra took the hose's water and started soaking him.

"I'll teach you two to ambush me!" she yelled. "You're going to get it Bolin—hey!"

She and Tahno crashed into the mud, the former-bender having rushed and tackled her. Tahno grabbed some mud, rammed it into her face, and took off running, "Get her, Bolin!"

"You're dead, Tahno!" Korra yelled, chasing him.

"Like I could resist!" he yelled over his shoulder, racing for the second hose.

A rock jutted up out of the ground, tripping him. He heard Bolin yell, "Free for all!"

Well _that_ wasn't good. Tahno dodged Korra's mud—hey, it actually worked—and lunged for the second hose, getting covered in wet clay that he slid across to it. He managed to turn as he grabbed the handle and blasted Bolin in the back as Korra and the earthbender switched places.

"Not me!" Bolin yelled.

"You're the one who called free for all!" Tahno mocked, before Korra grabbed his shirt collar and dumped clay down his back. "You did _not_ just do that."

"Sure did," she replied.

"Well, she's bending mud. We succeeded!" Bolin cheered.

"Yep," Tahno said, before hosing him in the face. "Now say your prayers, you lunatic!"

"You wish! I'm taking you both down!" Korra laughed.

.o.o.o.

"Mako, Asami, could you take these outside?" Pema asked.

"Uh, sure," Mako said. "Why?" He and Asami took the baskets of clothes.

"I'm not letting your brother, Korra, or Tahno in until they're not going to track mud everywhere. They're rinsing off, but their clothes need to right to laundry, not through the halls."

"What did they do?" Asami asked.

"Let's just say Korra now has mudbending down pat, hmm?" Pema replied.

.o.o.o.

"So…awesome…" Korra laughed.

"I've never been this covered in mud…" Tahno said quietly, trying to comb out his hair with his fingers.

"And clay, which I totally warned you about so don't blame me for it," Bolin said. "Give me back the hose, Tahno, I missed some of my left arm."

Tahno reluctantly handed it over and went back to trying to get a clump of clay out of his bangs. "So…this was both a success and a disaster. That's pretty interesting."

"Well, welcome to the group," Korra said. "There's some behind your ear, Bolin."

"Thanks," Bolin said.

"You know, I was kind of hoping Pema was kidding."

"Oh, hey Mako, hey Asami," Bolin said. "Kidding about what?"

"Exactly how covered in dirt you guys were," Asami said. "To be honest, it sounded a bit impossible."

"…You know we've been rinsing off for like five minutes, right?" Tahno asked. "Also, I now hate clay."

"Who doesn't," Mako said. "So, Pema sent out clothes. Find somewhere to change…Bolin, is part of your hair frozen?"

"We thought it would help get the clay out," Korra sighed.

"Not a good plan," Tahno added.

"Just…try to get cleaned up. Breakfast is soon," Mako sighed.

"I think I'd better leave the hand-to-hand lesson for tomorrow," Asami laughed. "You three looked wiped out."

"I blame Bolin. He's the one who declared a free for all," Tahno said.

"Korra's the one who made that pit!" Bolin complained. "And the clay slide!"

"Oh, that was fun and you know it!" Korra argued.

"I almost got dumped off the island!" Bolin argued as Asami and Mako left.

"But Bolin, that was the best part," Tahno said, grinning.

"Don't start, we're dirty enough as is," Korra said, grabbing Bolin's wrist as he went to grab more mud.

"So many jokes, so little time," Tahno chuckled.

"What?" Bolin asked.

"Nothing," Tahno said. Mako might just kill him if he explained that one to Bolin.

"All right, let's go change," Korra said. "…Wait, where do we change?"

"You take some rocks and we take some other rocks, earthbending makes it harder to see in, strip, swap clothes, leave," Tahno said. He was doused with more water. "Really?

"Yep," Korra said. "I call those rocks." She jogged off with the basket Asami has brought her.

"So, I was right, right? Fun morning?" Bolin asked.

Tahno quickly looked away from Korra and to his own clean clothes. "Yes. Fun. Very fun." And not just because he saw a certain Avatar soaking wet, either…

"Wait, did you really have fun? Because you sound kind of weird right now…" Bolin looked concerned.

"Yeah, I had a lot of fun. I just want to get clean. Bend up a place to change already."

This had been fun. He'd have do this again…though maybe something with less dirt would be better.

.o.o.o.

R&R, everyone!


End file.
